1793 


1896 


"QUens  J&ana  in  Cotpott  JJano." 


BlffGfiflP   SCHOOIi 


As  Seen  and  Reported  by 


"F.   IB.   -aJESSiTXDEXJl 


Staff  Correspondent, 


OF 


The  News  and  Observer, 


OF 


RALEIGH,  N.  C. 


BINGHAMHEIGHTS 

One  of  the  Chief  Attractions  in  North  Caro= 
Una's  Beautiful  Cloudland. 


THE  FAMOUS  BINGHAM  SCHOOL 

One  of   America's    Leading  Institutions   of 

Physical,  Moral  and  Intellectual 

Culture. 


ITS  UNEQUALLED  EQUIPMENT. 

Its  Past  Great  Work,  Its  Present  Excellence  and  its  Bright 
and  Glorious  Future. — flajor  Bingham,  Its  Able  and 
Progressive  Builder  and  Superintendent. 


/§)SHEVILLE,  N.  C,  April  28.— I  asked  a  prominent  Asheville 
y*  gentleman  some  days  ago  what  were  the  three  leading  attractions 
at  Asheville.  "The  Battery  Park  Hotel,  the  Vanderbilt  Estate  and 
Bingham  School,"  he  replied,  without  hesitation. 

I  knew  that,  as  to  the  two  former  the  gentleman  was  correct,  and 
made  my  mind  that  I  would  verify  his  statement  as  to  the  latter. 
So  I  went  to  the  corner  of  Patton  avenue  and  Haywood  street,  and 
seeing  a  new  electric  car  having  on  each  side,  "Bingham  Heights,"  I 
reached  for  a  nickel  and  got  aboard.  In  a  few  minutes  I  was  wind- 
ing around  the  magnificent  homes  between  Patton  avenue  and  the 
French  Broad  river.  A  few  moments  more  and  we  were  crossing  the  smil- 
ing river,  at  the  foot  of  Bingham  Heights.  Proceeding,  after  a  moment's 
gaze  at  the  beautiful  stream,  I  began  a  gradual  ascent  over  a  beauti- 
fully graded  pathway,  leading  up  beside  a  babbling  brook,  along  by 
bubbling  springs,  blooming  clover,  laurel  and  jessamine,  up  the  slopes 
of  a  magnificent  hill,  then  on  through  a  budding  forest  of  native  oaks 
and  chestnut  and  maple,  until  I  was  on  the  summit  of  Bingham 
Heights,  and  there  was  spread  out  before  me  one  of  the  newest  and 
most  attractive  and  complete  school  plants  in  America,  a  grand  school 
city,  built  of  brick,  on  both  sides  of  a  delightfully  shaded,  grass-covered 
esplanade  into  which  open  the  doors  of  dormitories,  class-rooms,  and  Y. 
M.  C.  A.  hall,  with  gymnasium  hall  and  chapel  nearby,  all  in  most 
perfect  detail,  and  most  systematic  and  convenient  and  charming  ar- 
rangement, a  beautiful  little  city  of  barracks,  built  upon  a  commodious 
hill  shaded  by  maples  and  oaks  that  nature  planted,  sweetened  with  the 
perfume  of  wild  flowers  that  grow  here  as  naturally  as  cedars  grow  in 
Lebanon,  fanned  by  winds  that  are  never  ceasing  and  never  boister- 
ous, and  smiled  upon  by  the  broad  panorama  of  mountain  grandeur 
on  every  side,  by  a  blue  azure  sky  above,  and  by  a  winding,  whispering, 
laughing  river  below. 


Bingham  Heights  is  naturally  one  of  the  grandest  spots  in  the 
grandest  country  in  the  world,  and  Bingham  School  is  to-day,  in 
location,  modern  equipment,  in  perfect  arrangement,  in  sanitary  ex- 
cellence, in  complete  detail,  and  in  superb  management,  one  of  the 
best,  if  not  the  best,  school  plants  in  the  United  States. 

Let  no  one  be  incredulous  here;  for  I  shall  verify  this  statement 
directly,  with  the  voluntary  opinions  of  men  whose  rank  as  statesmen, 
educators,  army  officers,  physicians,  and  business  men  entitles  them 
to  speak,  and  when  I  had  scanned  Bingham  Heights  and  had  gone 
through  every  department  of  Bingham  School,  I  was  prepared  to 
declare  that  the  gentleman  quoted  was  correct  in  his  statement,  ex- 
cept I  should,  in  naming  Asheville's  three  leading  institutions,  put 
Bingham  School  first. 

Any  one  who  inspects  the  new  Bingham  School  as  I  have  done, 
must  be  convinced  as  I  have  been. 

A  brief  history  of  this  famous  institution  which  the  United  States 
Government's  Bureau  of  education  says  "is  pre-eminent  among  South- 
ern schools  for  boys,"  is  proper  in  this  place. 

ORIGIN   AND  HISTORY. 

The  Bingham  School  was  established  in  1793  by  the  grandfather 
of  the  present  Superintendent,  Rev.  William  Bingham,  who  died  in 
1825,  after  having  taught  first  in  Wilmington,  then  in  Pittsboro,  then 
in  the  State  University  as  Professor  of  L,atin  for  5  years,  which  posi- 
tion he  resigned  to  return  to  the  private  school  work  which  he  contin- 
ued at  his  country  home  in  Orange  count)'  till  his  death.  He  was 
succeeded  by  his  eldest  son,  the  late  W.  J.  Bingham,  who  as  principal 
of  the  Hillsboro  Academy  achieved  a  reputation  unsurpassed  by  any 
of  his  contemporaries  in  other  professions  and  unequaled  by  any  other 
teacher  in  the  South.  In  1844  he  moved  the  school  to  Oaks,  12  miles 
southwest  of  Hillsboro,  where  he  taught  with  unabated  success  till 
his  health  failed  in  1864,  his  sons,  William  and  Robert,  being  associ- 
ated with  him  after  1857.  ft  being  difficult  during  the  Civil  War  to 
get  supplies  so  far  from  a  railroad,  in  the  hands  of  the  late  Col.  Wil- 
liam Bingham,  the  School  was  moved  again  during  the  winter  of 
1864 — 65  to  the  nearest  point  on  the  railroad,  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
from  Mebane  Station  (and  still  in  Orange  County, )  where  it  remained 
till  1891.  But  up  to  that  time  when  a  second  disastrous  fire  in  nine 
years  drove  it  from  its  wooden  buildings  in  middle  North  Carolina, 
Bingham's  lacked  an  ideal  situation  and  ideal  comfort,  safety,  conven- 
ience, ventilation  and  sanitation  in  its  buildings.  In  the  unanimous 
and  pronounced  judgment  of  more  than  fifty  physicians  who  have 
inspected  it,  and  of  hundred  of  others  from  all  parts  of  the  Union,  in 
the  New  Bingham  School  at  Asheville  the  ideal  situation  has  been 
secured,  and  the  ideal  comfort,  safety,  convenience,  ventilation  and 
sanitation  have  been  attained. 

"In  the  buildings, "  says  the  Atlanta  Illustrator  for  April,  "with 
accommodations  for  one  hundred  and  twenty  pupils,  two  in  a  room 
and  one  in  a  bed,  economy  and  mere  show  are  subordinated  to  health 
safety,  comfort  and  utility.  They  are  on  the  so-called  'cottage  plan,' 
the  ground  plan  of  the  University  of  Virginia  and  the  plan  adopted  of 
late  years  by  all  civilized  governments  on  sanitary  grounds  for  bar- 
racks and  hospitals.  The  dormitories  are  in  eight  sections  and  are 
placed  on  both  sides  of  a  street  seventy-five  feet  wide.  Dampness  is 
prevented  by  a  course  of  slate  and  cement  under  every  floor,  and  the 
sunshines  into  every  room  at  some  time  during  the  day.  But  the 
most  distinctive  feature  is  that  a  class  room,  with  quarters  for  a  teacher 
behind  it,  is  placed  in  the  center  of  each  of  the  eight  ranges,  so  that 
the   teacher   is   ubiquitous   and   combination   for   disorders  in  study 


rO 


0=, 


hours  are  next  to  impossible.  Every  detail  for  the  convenience  and 
comfort  of  the  pupils  has  been  carefully  provided,  and  one  rarely  finds 
a  more  comfortable  spring  bed,  or  a  neater  and  more  airy  and  better 
heated  room  in  any  first  class  hotel." 

I  was  prepared  for  the  growing  fame  of  Asheville  by  reflecting 
how  many  people  it  attracts  from  all  parts  of  the  country  and  by  the 
prominence  of  the  large  majority  of  its  100,000  yearly  visitors.  I  was 
prepared  to  find  a  fine  location  for  the  School.  I  confess  that  I  was 
not  prepared  to  find  so  magnificent  a  school  plant  in  North  Carolina, 
or  anywhere  else  ;  not  magnificent  in  appearance  ;  that  cannot  be  said 
of  it  at  all  ;  for  mere  show  has  been  entirely  subordinated  to  utility . 
But  for  convenience,  for  comfort,  for  discipline,  for  instruction,  for 
safety,  for  health  and  for  sanitation,  magnificent  is  the  word.  The 
form  of  the  buildings  has  been  given  in  the  language  of  the  Illustrator. 
The  Gymnasium  is  a  model  of  its  kind.  There  are  beautiful  tennis 
courts.  The  play  ground  is  excellent.  Athletics  under  proper  res- 
trictions are  encouraged  and  provided  for.  The  quarters,  with  their 
single  spring  beds,  compare  favorably  in  every  way  with  the  quarters 
and  bed  that  I  had  at  the  Battery  Park  Hotel.  The  arrangements  for 
necessities  are  by  far  the  best  that  I  have  ever  seen  in  any  public  in- 
stitution, and  in  the  language  of  the  Illustrator  again,  "are  Northern 
rather  than  Southern,  European  rather  than  American,  in  their  san- 
itary completeness  and  common  sense,  and  they  impress  every  one 
who  inspects  them  as  being  unequaled  in  excellence." 

CULINARY  DEPARTMENT. 

But  as  much  as  I  was  impressed,  and  astonished,  to  tell  the  truth, 
with  every  thing  else,  having  a  weakness  for  creature  comforts,  and 
being  a  pretty  fair  judge  of  the  same,  I  confess  that  the  arrangements 
for  feeding  the  boys  and  the  way  they  are  fed  impressed  me  more,  I 
believe,  than  any  thing  else.  The  table,  the  tableware,  the  labor  sav- 
ing appliances  in  the  dining  room  and  kitchen,  the  absolute  decorum 
of  the  boys  at  meals  but  especially  the  excellent  quality  of  food,  its 
abundance,  and  the  excellent  quality  of  the  cooking  deserve  the 
highest  praise.  I  travel  a  great  deal  and  so  I  can  make  a  just 
comparison. 

From  the  appearance  of  everything  connected  with  the  culinary 
department  and  the  well  laden  tables  of  rich,  tempting  and  well  prepar- 
ed food,  there  are  few  hotels  in  the  State  that  equal  it  and  none  that  sur- 
pass it.  No  wonder  that  all  the  boys  say  that  Bingham  fare  is  the 
best  they  ever  saw  at  a  boarding  school,  and  that  their  average  gain 
in  weight  last  year  was  nineteen  ( 19)  pounds. 

But  lest  some  of  my  readers  should  think  that  I  have  overstated 
the  case,  I  will  give  the  opinions  of  others  whose  political,  official, 
scientific  and  social  prominence  must  carry  coaviction  to  the  most  in- 
credulous, beginning  with  Vice-President  Stevenson,  North  Carolina's 
favorite  in  public  life,  and  ending  with  the  opinion  of  Col.  J.  S.  Carr, 
of  Durham,  the  great  leader  of  the  State's  industrial  development. 
On  his  return  to  Washington  from  Asheville  in  March,  1894,  in  a 
private  letter  to  Josephus  Daniels,  published  by  permission  in  the 
North  Carolinian  of  March  20th,  1894,  the  original  cop3'  of  which  I 
saw  framed  in  Maj.  Bingham's  office,  the  Vice-President  says  : 

"It  was  my  good  fortune,  a  few  days  ago,  to  visit  the  Bingham 
School  at  Asheville,  North  Carolina. 

"It  is  impossible  to  speak  too  highly  of  this  celebrated  institution. 
Its  location,  buildings,  sanitation  and  water  supply  are  all  that  could 
be  desired.  It  would  indeed  be  difficult  to  find  a  school  whose  location 
possesses  equal  natural  advantages.  The  corps  of  teachers,  moreover, 
is  excellent.     Under  Major  Bingham,  its  present  efficient  superintend- 


ent,  this  historic  school  has  more  than  sustained  its  well  earned  rep- 
utation. 

"I  take  pleasure  in  commending  it  most  earnestly." 
This  is  high  praise  from  a  high   source,    and  every  word  of  it  is 
deserved. 

OPINIONS  OF  ARHY  OFFICERS, 

There  is  no  equivocation  in  the  following  from  Major  Chas.  L. 
Davis,  U.  S.  Army,  Professor  of  Military  Science  and  Tactics. 
Major  Davis  found  here  a  school  surpassing  all  others  in  the  United 
States,  and  he  said  so  straight  from  the  shoulder,  under  date  of  March 
4th,  1894.     He  said  : 

"It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  say  that  I  regard  Bingham  School 
as  the  best  institution  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States,  possessing  as  it 
does,  a  superbly  healthful  location,  easy  of  access,  in  the  geograph- 
ical center  of  the  region  east  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  best  facilities 
for  developing  the  physical,  mental,  moral  and  manly  qualities  of  its 
students,  among  whom  I  deem  myself  fortunate  to  include  my  son." 

Lieutenant  Jos.  B.  Batchelor,  of  the  United  States  Army,  a  North 
Carolinian  who  takes  special  pride  in  the  advancement  of  his  State 
and  its  interests,  says:  "Bingham's  School  combines  more  desirable 
qualities  than  any  other  with  which  I  arn  acquainted." 

Capt.  Henry  Wygant,  U.  S.  Army,  Professor  of  Military  Science 
and  Tactics,  says :  "There  isn't  the  equal  of  Bingham  School 
in  my  opinion." 

Lieutenant  J.  B.  Hughes,  United  States  Army,  says  :  I  cordially 
recommend  Bingham's  as  the  best  school  for  boys  in  my  knowledge." 

Lieutenant  John  Little,  United  States  Army,  says  :  "The  Bingham 
school  possesses  more  attractive  features  and  offers  better  opportunities 
for  the  mental  and  physical  development  of  boys  than  any  similar  in- 
stitution knowm  to  me." 

"Best"  is  a  great  big,  broad  word  and  when  used  honestly  and 
advisedly  it  means  a  great  deal.  In  this  connection  the  word  is  used 
advisedl)'  and  it  simply  means,  in  the  language  of  Maj.  Davis,  Cap- 
tain Wygant,  and  Lieuts.  Batchelor,  Hughes  and  Little,  all  of  the  U. 
S.  Army,  who  have  been  detailed  as  Military  Professors  in  the  School, 
that  there  is  no  equal  to  Bingham  School  to-day  in  America,  and 
perhaps  nowhere  else. 

PHYSICIANS  SPEAK. 

As  to  the  sanitary  excellence  and  general  healthfulness  of  an  insti- 
tution there  are  none  so  capable  of  speaking  as  those  physicians 
whose  scientific  study  and  practical  observation  fully  equip  them  for 
expressing  accurate  and  valuable  opinions. 

Dr.  S.  C.  McGilvra,  of  West  Superior,  Wisconsin,  after  a  careful 
and  critical  inspection  of  the  school  in  April,  1894,  said  :  "The  loca- 
tion, the  quarters,  the  class  rooms,  the  gymnasium,  the  equipment 
and  service  of  the  mess  hall  and  kitchen,  the  ventilation,  the  drainage, 
the  sanitation,  are  much  the  best  that  I  have  ever  seen  anywhere  North 
or  South,  and  must  appeal  very  strongly  to  the  smaller  but  higher 
class  of  parents  who  are  satisfied  with  only  the  best  for  their  sons." 

Dr.  McGilvra  did  not  stop  at  "best"  but  went  further  and  said 
•'much  the  best, "and  he  struck  the  keynote  when  he  said  that  the 
school  appealed  strongly  to  that  higher  class  of  parents  who  would  be 
satisfied  only  with  the  "best"  for  their  sons. 

Dr.  P.  L.  Murphy,  Superintendent  of  the  State  Hospital  at  Mor- 
ganton,  and  one  of  the  most  eminent  specialists  in  the  South,  says  :  "It 
was  gratifying  to  me,  a  former  pupil  of  this  famous  school,  to  find  it 
fully  abreast  of  the  times  in   every   respect.     The  reputation   of  the 


6 

school  under  its  present  management  for  thoroughness  in  every  detail 
of  moral,  physical  and  intellectual  culture  is  at  least  up  to  the  highest 
standard  of  its  past,  if  not  above  it." 

Dr.  Karl  von  Ruck,  member  of  American  Health  Association  and 
Medical  Director  of  Winyah  Sanitarium,  Asheville,  N.  C,  says:  "I 
find  that  its  sanitary  appointments  are  exceptionally  perfect  and  much 
better  than  I  have  ever  found  before  in  the  numerous  public  institu- 
tions I  have  heretofore  examined.  I  have  not  one  single  suggestion  to 
make,  on  the  contrary  I  commend  its  appointments  as  a  standard, 
worth  the  study  and  imitation  of  every  similar  institution  in  the  land." 

Dr.  F.  V.  Van  Artsdalen,  of  Philadelphia,  says:  "The  most  dis- 
tinguished of  all  the  educational  institutions  of  North  Carolina  is 
Bingham's  School.  For  sanitation  and  the  principles  of  hygiene  I 
look  upon  it  as  not  being  surpassed  by  an}-  similar  or  other  institution 
in  the  world." 

Dr.  J.  C.  Erwin,  of  McKinney,  Tex.,  says  :  "I  have  no  hesitation 
in  saying,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  sanitary  conditions  of 
Bingham  School  that  they  are  perfect  in  every  detail  and  superb  in 
their  completeness.  *  *  Superior  to  anything  I  have  ever  seen 
before." 

Drs.  S.  Westray  Battle,  Jno.  Hey  Williams,  Jas.  A.  Burroughs, 
William  D.  Hilliard,  representing  the  Medical  Faculty  of  Asheville 
after  visiting  and  inspecting  the  school  in  a  body  said  : 

We  have  carefully  examined  the  new  School  Buildings  on  Bing- 
ham Heights,  just  without  the  city  limits  of  Asheville,  and  take  pleas- 
ure in  bearing  testimony  as  follows  : 

I.  The  Location  in  natural  advantages  leaves  nothing  to  be 
desired. 

II.  The  Buildings  exceptionally  fill  the  requirements. 

III.  The  Sanitation  is  as  perfect  as  scientific  modern  plumbing 
can  make  it. 

IV.  The  Water  Supply  is  abundant,  the  water  of  the  purest, 
carefully  collected  from  mountain  springs,  and  without  a  chance  of 
contamination. 

V.  The  all-the-y ear-round  Climate  of  Asheville  is  world-renowned, 
and  with  the  School's  exceptionally  excellent  equipment  and  sanita- 
tion, gives  Bingham's  Special  Advantages  not  enjoyed  by  another 
school  in  America. 

OFFICIAL  ENDORSEHENT  OF  THE  EXECUTIVE  AND  JUDI- 
CIARY OF    THE  STATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Governor  Elias  Carr,  after  visiting  Bingham's  School  wrote  as 
follows  : 

"I  am  pleased  to  add  my  testimonial  to  the  superior  advantages 
of  the  renowned  Bingham  School,  now  located  near  Asheville,  N.  C. 
I  was  a  student  at  Bingham  School  when  it  was  situated  at  Oaks, 
Orange  County,  in  1854.  It  was  then  the  leading  school  in  the  State, 
and  it  has  ever  since  been  successfully  managed,  and  has  enjoyed  this 
reputation.  After  a  careful  personal  inspection  of  the  present  location 
and  the  sanitary  arrangements  made  recently,  I  am  impressed  with 
the  great  improvement  over  the  old  plan  of  buildings  used  in  my 
school  days  ;  and  I  have  no  hesitancy  in  pronouncing  the  location 
most  desirable,  the  buildings  excellent,  the  sanitary  arrangements 
unequaled.  In  fact  it  is  a  model  school  plant,  with  all  the  modern 
improvements.  For  three  generations,  extending  over  one  hundred 
vears,  the  Binghams  have  been  distinguished  educators,  and  the 
School  foundedby  them  is  an  Institution'of  which  any  State  should 
be  proud. 

Justice  A.  C.  Avery,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  North  Carolina  says  : 


"As  an  old  student  of  Bingham  School  when  under  the  manage- 
ment of  the  late  W.  J.  Bingham,  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  see 
from  a  recent  inspection  of  its  work  that  my  classmate,  Maj.  Robert 
Bingham,  the  present  head  of  the  school,  is  not  simply  keeping  abreast 
of  the  times,  but  that,  like  his  father,  he  is  ahead  of  all  competitors  in 
thoroughness  of  instruction  and  discipline,  as  well  as  in  parental  over- 
sight of  the  morals  and  care  for  the  health  of  his  pupils. 

"The  location  of  the  School  is  among  the  most  beautiful  in  the 
country,  commanding  a  combined  mountain  and  water  view  rarely  if 
ever  equaled.  The  drainage  is  excellent,  and  the  sanitary  arrange- 
ments are  as  nearly  perfect  as  it  is  possible,  by  the  utmost  skill  and  by 
lavish  expenditure,  to  make  them." 

OFFICIAL  REPORT  OF  GEN.  CAMERON,  THE   HEAD    OF    THE    MILITARY 
DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  STATE  OOVERNnENT. 

vSTATE  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA, 

Adjutant  Gbnerai/s  Office, 

Raleigh,  April  24,  1896. 
Having  recently   visited  and  inspected  the  "Bingham   School," 
near  Aslieville,  it  affords  me  much  pleasure  to  testify  to  its  admirable 
location,  management  and  condition. 

Located  in  the  heart  of  the  health  giving  mountain  region  of 
North  Carolina  its  natural  advantages  in  that  respect  are  doubly  en- 
hanced by  THE  MOST  THOROUGH  and  COMPLETE  SANITARY 
SYSTEM  I  HAVE  EVER  SEEN.  It  is  but  simple  justice  to  say 
that  nothing  has  been  left  undone  that  could  contribute  to  cleanliness, 
health  and  comfort. 

In  my  opinion  the  School  IS  SECOND  TO  NO  INSTITUTION 
OF  ITS  KIND  IN  THE  COUNTRY. 

(Signed)         FRANCIS  H.  CAMERON, 

Adjutant  General. 
The  influence  of  a  great  State  institution  is  seen  most  and  felt 
most  by  those  who  conduct  its  public  affairs  and  the  endorsement  of 
Gov.  Carr,  Judge  Avery  and  Gen.  Cameron  is  evidence  of  the  value 
to  the  State  and  the  South  of  the  great  work  accomplished  by  Bingham 
School. 

EDUCATORS'  ENDORSEMENT. 

Dr.  Geo.  T.  Winston,  President  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina 
speaking  of  the  School  said  : 

"The  Bingham  School  would  do  credit  to  any  State  in  the  Union. 
I  have  known  it  well  twenty  years,  by  personal  inspection  and  by  the 
work  of  its  pupils.  It  may  challenge  comparison  with  the  best  boys' 
schools  anywhere." 

Rev.  Dr.  T.  E.  Sampson,  who  has  traveled  in  Scotland,  Germany, 
Syria  and  all  over  America  says  : 

"After  a  careful  examination  of  the  Bingham  School  in  its  new 
home  near  Asheville,  I  would  like  to  say  that  I  have  never  seen  any 
school  in  America  or  out  of  it  where  the  arrangements  for  the  physical 
culture,  and  for  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the  young  men,  were 
so  commodious  and  complete." 

Dr.  James  H.  Kirkland,  Chancellor  of  Vanderbilt  University,  says: 

"The  Bingham  School  has  for  many  3^ears  been  justly  celebrated 
as  one  of  the  very  best  schools  in  the  whole  country.  The  good  work 
it  has  done  is  attested  by  the  records  of  the  students  it  has  sent  out 
into  life  or  to  pursue  higher  courses  at  the  leading  universities.  It 
was  recently  my  privilege  to  inspect  the  grounds  and  buildings  of 
this  famous  School,  and  I  can  cheerfully  say  that  every  detail  is  in 
perfect  accord  with  the  leading  idea  on  which  the  School  is  run.     In 


all  its  appointments  it  would  be  hard  to  find  a   school   in    the   South 
better  equipped  for  work." 

BUSINESS  MEN'S  ENDORSEHENT. 

Col.  Julian  S.  Carr,  one  of  the  acknowledged  heads  of  industrial 
development  of  North  Carolina,  and  one  of  the  best  friends  that  edu- 
cation has  in  all  this  Southland,  recently  visited  Bingham  Heights, 
and  after  careful  inspection,  wrote  as  follows  : 

"I  am  pleased  to  have  enjoyed  a  recent  opportunity  of  making  a 
trip  to  the  celebrated  Bingham  School,  and  of  going  carefully  over  the 
premises.  I  need  say  nothing  with  respect  to  the  curriculum,  for  the 
well  known  repute  of  the  institution  is  older  than  I.  But  of  the  loca- 
tion, sanitation,  etc.,  I  desire  to  speak  more  particularly.  It  is  beauti- 
ful as  to  location.  The  French  Broad  sweeps  past  the  base  of  a  bold 
cliff,  upon  wrhich  the  institution  is  situated.  For  miles  down  the  val- 
ley towards  Paint  Rock  the  view  is  charming.  And  towards  the  south 
rise  Pisgah  and  the  Blue  Ridge  ;  towards  the  east  one  sees  the  Black 
Mountain  the  late  home  of  Vance,  and  the  burial  place  of  Mitchell. 
There  is  Vanderbilt's  glittering  in  the  sheen  of  the  setting  sun.  How 
can  such  a  location,  enshrined  in  the  home  of  the  health-giving  ozone, 
be  otherwise  than  charmingly  delightful,  and  remarkably  healthful 
for  the  School.  From  the  way  the  land  lies  the  drainage  is  natural, 
and  nature  has  done  her  work  perfectly.  The  sewerage  is  most  per- 
fect and  complete,  and  the  ventilation  and  sanitation  of  the  buildings 
are  perfect.  Neither  pains  or  expenses  have  been  spared  to  make  the 
barracks  what  I  pronounce  the  most  perfect  living  rooms  I  ever  sawr. 
Health  and  disciplinary  care  is  written  in  every  feature  of  the  institu- 
tion, and  those  in  search  of  the  best  need  go  no  farther.  I  am  proud 
that  North  Carolina  can  boast  of  Bingham  and  Bingham  School." 

But  much  as  I  was  pleased  with  the  unequaled  excellence  of  the 
new  Bingham's  in  every  respect,  and  proud  as  I  am,  like  Col.  J.  S. 
Carr,  that  North  Carolina  has  Bingham  and  Bingham  School,  per- 
haps the  thing  which  appealed  to  me  most  practically  is  the  very  high 
standing  which  the  School  has  established  for  itself  among  the  busi- 
ness enterprises  and  among  the  business  men  of  Asheville." 

Speaking  of  Major  Bingham  and  Bingham  School,  Mr.  Geo.  S. 
Powell,  of  Powell  &  Snider,  leading  grocers  of  Asheville,  said  : 

"Bingham  School  is  one  of  the  best  institutions  in  the  South, 
and  Major  Bingham,  the  Principal,  is  one  of  the  most  prompt  and  re- 
liable gentlemen  in  his  business  dealings  with  whom  we  have  ever 
dealt." 

Mr.  G.  A.  Greer,  another  leading  grocer,  said  : 

"Major  Bingham  is  one  of  the  best  patrons  I  ever  had.  With  him 
it  is  a  pleasure  to  deal.  He  wants  nothing  but  the  best,  buys  the  best 
and  discounts  every  bill  he  buys  by  paying  cash.  He  manages  his 
great  institution  so  well  and  on  such  strict  business  principles,  and 
he  draws  to  it  such  a  large  number  of  valuable  patrons  that  he  is- 
at  all  times  prepared  to  meet  every  business  obligation." 

Mr.  Barnard,  the  President  of  the  National  Bank  of  Asheville, 
said  : 

"We  regard  Major  Bingham  as  one  of  the  most  valuable  individ- 
ual factors  that  has  ever  been  attracted  to  Asheville.  He  is  a  man  of 
energy,  of  great  learning,  and  of  unquestionable  business  ability  and 
integrity.  His  School  here  is  a  great  success.  I  happen  to  know  that 
during  the  past  year  Major  Bingham  has,  from  the  resources  of  his 
school,  paid  off  six  thousand  ($6000.00)  dollars  of  the  debt  incurred  in 
the  erection  of  the  plant.  A  good  showing,  we  call  it,  for  times 
like  these." 

These  things  I  mention  because  in  this  da}-  and  time   nothing  es- 


tablishes  a  thing  quite  so  accurately  as  bold,  cold  facts,  and  they  show 
that  parents  and  guardians  all  over  the  country  have  learned  of  the 
par  excellence  of  Bingham  School  and  are  encouraging  its  builder  with 
an  extended  patronage. 

FAIRNESS  AND  JUSTNESS  OF  THE  DISCIPLINE. 

One  of  the  things  that  one  hears  oftenest  from  the  boys  at  Bing- 
ham School  is  the  absolute  fairness  of  the  discipline.  On  this  point 
I  will  let  Major  Bingham  speak  for  himself,  as  he  does  in  the  school 
catalogue  : 

Article  15  is  as  follows  : 

RIGHT  OF  APPEAL. 

"On  every  Saturday  night  at  a  prescribed  signal,  the  Faculty  as- 
sembles in  the  Superintendent's  office  to  hear  any  appeal  by  any  Cadet 
who  thinks  he  has  any  complaint  to  make  against  any  Teacher,  Cadet 
Officer  or  comrade,  or  against  any  other  person,  or  for  any  cause  what- 
soever. A  patient  hearing  is  given  to  every  appellant,  who  states  his 
cause  of  complaint  fully,  and  sustains  it  by  any  testimony  he  may  be 
able  to  bring  up.  In  this  way  errors  are  corrected,  hast3T  judgment  is 
prevented,  avoidable  causes  of  complaint  are  removed,  and  fairness, 
uniformity  and  justice  are  secured." 

I  cannot  do  better,  in  speaking  of  this  admirable  feature  of  the 
school's  methods,  than  to  quote  in  his  own  words  the  impression  which 
this  policy  of  fairness  and  overhanded  justice  made  on  Lieutenant  J. 
B.  Batchelor,  United  States  Army,  who  had  recently  been  subject  to 
the  methods  of  West  Point.  Says  Lieutenant  Batchelor,  over  his 
signature  : 

"The  discipline  cannot  be  too  highly  praised.  Uniform  and  mod- 
erate, it  presses  on  all  alike,  and  while  it  is  never  excessive,  it  never 
relaxes.  It  it  is  applied  directly  to  the  student  body  by  means  of  the 
military  organization — the  best  means  for  that  purpose.  The  object 
of  the  school  is  to  make  not  soldiers,  but  cultivated  Christian  gentle- 
men; yet  the  foundation  of  this  character  can  be  laid  only  in  self- 
control,  which  is  discipline,  and  no  machinery  has  yet  been  found,  or 
can  be  found  for  thmoderate,  even  and  constant  application  of  disci- 
pline equal  to  the  military  organization,  distinctly  subordinated,  as  in 
this  case,  to  the  main  work  of  the  school. 

"The  discipline  at  Bingham's,"  continues  Lieut.  Batchelor,  "is 
eminently  fair.  Presided  over  by  a  man  whose  patience  has  never  yet 
found  its  limit,  and  who  desires  to  make  his  pupils  feel  by  the  treat- 
ment they  receive  that  they  are  considered  young  gentlemen,  any  boy 
in  the  school  who  thinks  that  he  has  received  less  than  justice  from 
any  one,  though  that  one  be  the  Superintendent  himself,  is  sure  of  a 
fair  hearing  and  of  a  decision  on  the  merits  of  the  case,  there  being  an 
"appeal  meeting"  each  week  to  hear  all  complaints.  This,  I  think, 
is  one  of  the  most  important  features  of  the  school.  It  springs  from 
no  weakness  of  discipline  or  desire  to  substitute  concession  for  author- 
ity. On  the  contrary,  it  shows  the  strength  of  the  discipline  which 
can  afford  thus  to  examine  and  review  its  own  acts,  and  if  those  acts 
are  erroneous,  to  reverse  them  ;  and  it  forces  the  pupil  to  reflect  that 
where  he  is  so  fairly  heard  and  so  fairfy  judged,  the  punishment  award- 
ed must  be  founded,  not  on  caprice,  but  on  justice,  and  this  makes 
obedience  to  discipline  in  the  school  almost  instinctive." 

THE  WAY  TRUTH  IS  EHPHASIZED. 

Another  marked  feature  in  the  school's  methods  of  character 
building  which  cannot  be  too  highly  commended,  is  the  way  in  which 
the  truth  is  emphasized.  On  this  head  I  cannot  do  better  than  to  let 
the  school  speak  for  itself,  as  it  does  in  its  catalogue,  as  follows  : 


10 

"Art.  14 — The  TRUTH  is  the  basis  of  every  noble  character  ;  and 
as  education  is,  mere  than  anything  else,  the  development  of  char- 
acter, telling  the  truth  is  the  basis  of  the  discipline  of  Bingham 
School.  We  therefore  always  expect  the  truth  from  every  Cadet,  and 
if  any  Cadet  makes  an  official  statement  which  is  not  the  truth,  his 
comrades,  after  a  full  and  fair  investigation,  ask  his  removal  from  the 
school  as  being  unworthy  to  associate  with  them." 

Every  boy  who  enters  the  school  does  so  with  the  distinct  under- 
standing that  "his  word  must  be  his  bond,"  and  with  this  understand- 
ing, he  makes  a  promise  on  his  honor  as  a  gentleman  that  he  will  ab- 
stain from  three  things,  namely,  from  drinking  or  being  in  a  bar 
room,  from  having  deadly  weapons,  and  from  hazing.  This  promise 
has  been  violated  but  four  times  in  twenty  years,  and  in  each  case  the 
offenders  were  promptly  arraigned,  convicted  by  their  comrades,  and 
expelled  by  the  faculty  at  the  instance  of  the  cadet  body  for  lying. 
Thus  the  honor  method  has  stopped  at  Bingham's  these  three  great 
evils,  drinking,  hazing  and  having  deadly  weapons,  and  when  once 
established  it  prevents  cheating  on  examinations,  and  other  kindred 
forms  of  dodging  responsibility.  This  idea  of  one's  meeting  his  res- 
ponsibilities face  to  face  pervades  the  life  of  the  student  body  at  Bing- 
ham's more,  perhaps,  than  it  has  pervaded  a  student  body  since  the 
days  of  Dr.  Arnold  at  Rugby,  and  richly  entitles  Bingham's  to  its 
honorable  soubriquet  of  "The  American  Rugby."  I  cannot  do  better 
on  this  point  than  to  give  in  Lieutenant  Batchelor's  words,  the  im- 
pression which  this  high  sense  of  honor  at  Bingham's  made  on  him 
when  Professor  of  Military  Science  and  Tactics  in  the  school  ten  years 
ago,  and  which  shines  with  untarnished  lustre  still.  His  words  are 
as  follows  : 

"The  pupils  of  the  School  represent  the  best  people  of  the  various 
sections  of  the  country  from  which  they  come.  It  is  important  that 
the  early  associates  of  young  men  should  be  chosen  from  those  whose 
acquaintance  will  be  desirable  in  after  years,  and  especially  impor- 
tant that  a  boy  should  grow  up  among  companions  whose  standard  of 
thought  is  high  and  pure.  I  say  with  confidence  that  NOWHERE 
IN  THE  WORLD  CAN  A  BODY  OF  YOUNG  MEN  BE  FOUND 
AMONG  WHOM  THIS  STANDARD  IS  HIGHER  AND  PURER 
than  at  Bingham's.  Its  pupils,  like  all  boys,  have  their  boyish  faults  and 
boyish  failings  ;  but  they  never  fail  to  answer  any  call  made  upon  them 
by  the  self-respect  and  honor  of  a  gentleman.  Some  black  sheep 
may  come  in,  but  they  never  taint  the  mass,  and  are  soon  gotten  rid 
of  by  an  almost  unconscious  rejection  on  the  part  of  the  Cadets  them- 
selves. No  boy  who  is  not  brave,  frank,  true  and  decent  can  stand 
the  atmosphere  of  Bingham  School." 

THE  FIFTH  BINGHAH. 

I  was  also  very  much  gratified  to  meet  Capt.  Robert  Worth  Bing- 
ham, who  has  been  connected  with  the  School  for  four  years,  and  to 
learn  that  this  fifth  Bingham,  of  the  fourth  generation  is  so  excellently 
qualified  in  every  way  to  perpetuate  the  School,  and  not  only  to  main- 
tain, but  to  increase  its  renown,  when  the  waning  19th  shall  have 
passed  into  the  waxing  20th  century  and  beyond. 

FREE  CADETSHIPS. 

Another  very  gratifying  thing  is  that  the  School  is  about  to  re- 
sume the  gratuitous  work  for  which  it  has  been  noted  for  100  years  and 
which  it  was  obliged  to  suspend  while  establishing  itself  in  its  new 
home.  It  is  offering  eleven  (n)  free  Cadetships  to  be  won  by  a  com- 
petitive examination,  like  Cadetships  at  West  Point,  Annapolis  and 
other  great  schools.     The  scholarships  cover  tuition,    board,    lodging 


11 

and  lights  for  which  others  pay  $250  a  year  and  are  to  be  awarded  by 
the  two  Senators  for  the  State  at  Large  and  by  each  Congressman  for 
his  own  District,  to  the  young  man  who  stands  the  best  competitive 
examination  on  the  15th  of  August  at  such  place  and  before  such  com- 
mittee as  Senator  or  Congressman  may  select,  or  on  the  26th  of  August 
at  the  School  in  case  no  selection  should  be  made  in  any  district  on 
the  15th.  In  this  wTay  the  School  will  do  North  Carolina  good  by  giv- 
ing an  education  to  a  few  picked  young  men;  and  will  get  good  itself  by 
the  presence  of  these  picked  young  men  in  its  classes,  and  by  giving  the 
North  Carolina  public  the  opportunity  to  know  more  of  its  grand  edu- 
cational plant  and  facilities,  which  other  States  have  got  the  proper 
perspective  on  already,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  the  School  has  eighty 
(80)  pupils  on  its  roll  this  year  from  outside  of  North  Carolina,  while 
North  Carolina,  with  her  proverbial  lack  of  enthusiasm  for  the  best 
work  of  her  own  best  sons,  has  but  a  score  of  pupils  in  what  is  not 
only  her  own  most  famous  school,  but  the  most  famous  school  in  the 
South  in  the  opinion  of  the  competent  and  distinguished  judges  whom  I 
have  quoted  and  for  which  opinions  they  alone  are  responsible  and 
not  I.  And  it  is  the  only  private  school  in  the  South  or  in  the  United 
States  as  far  as  I  know,  which  puts  a  free  scholarship  at  the  disposal 
of  each  member  of  the  Congressional  delegation  of  the  State  in  which 
it  is  located. 

THE  HIGH  REPUTE  OF  THE  BINGHAM  BOYS  IN  ASKEVILLE. 

I  was  very  much  struck,  too,  with  the  fine  manly  appearance  and 
gentlemanly  bearing  of  the  boys  and  with  the  very  high  repute  which 
they  have  established  for  themselves  in  the  city  of  Asheville.  One 
hears  the  remark  often  from  the  leading  citizens  that  no  Bingham 
boy,  while  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  School  has  been  seen  in  a 
bar-room  in  Asheville,  nor  has  any  one  of  them  ever  been  known  to 
act  on  the  streets  in  any  way  unbecoming  a  gentleman.  Such  a  record 
would  be  impossible  without  excellent  discipline  by  the  School  and 
without  excellent  blood  and  breeding  in  the  boys  themselves. 

THE  CHARGES  ARE  REASONABLE. 

It  is  generally  understood  that  Bingham's  disclaims  the 
idea  of  being  a  cheap  John  concern  !  "We  appeal,"  says  the 
Catalogue,  "to  the  smaller  but  higher  class  of  parents  who 
choose  for  their  sons  what  is  the  best  rather  than  to  the  larger  class  who 
take  the  cheapest,"  and  while  it  has  always  commanded  somewhat 
higher  tuition  fees  than  any  other  school  for  boys  in  North  Carolina, 
its  charges  are  not  above  those  of  other  schools  of  like  grade  and  char- 
acter in  the  South  and  are  below  those  of  similar  schools  at  the  North 
and  abroad.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  charges  are  reasonable  enough, 
$150  per  session  pays  school  expenses,  which  include  tuition,  board, 
lodging,  fuel,  lights,  military  and  gymnastic  instruction,  medical 
attention  if  needed,  and  books,  the  charge  being  at  the  rate  of  not 
quite  $1. 13  per  day.  Now  I  submit  that  if  a  parent  or  guardian  thinks 
that  a  boy  can  be  well  taught,  well  fed,  well  housed,  well  warmed, 
well  lighted,  well  instructed  in  military  and  gymnastic  exercises,  well 
doctored  if  lie  needs  it,  and  supplied  with  books  for  any  less  than 
$1. 13  per  day,  such  a  parent  or  guardian  hardly  realizes  the  needs  of 
a  boy's  body  and  mind. 

THE  FUTURE  OF  THE  SCHOOL. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  such  a  school  with  such  a  great  past,  with  a 
greater  present  and  with  a  future  greater  than  its  past  and  its  present 
combined — should  attract  pupils  this  year  from  18  States  of  the  Union 
extending  from  Ohio  and  Wisconsin  on  the   North,  to  Florida  and 


12 


Texas  on  the  South,  from  the  United  States  Army  and  should  reach 
outside  of  the  United  States  to  Mexico  ;  nor  is  it  to  be  wondered  at 
that  it  actually  brings  to  North  Carolina  for  education  probably  more 
young  men  from  outside  of  the  State  than  all  the  other 
colleges  and  private  schools  for  boys  in  the  State  combined. 
The  only  wonder  is  that  under  the  pressiire  of  calamity  by 
fire  and  the  consequent  change  of  location,  of  persistent  ru- 
mors of  temporary  and  of  permanent  suspension,  under  the 
pressure,  too,  of  the  long  continued  financial  troubles  which  have 
swamped  so  many  business  enterprises  all  over  the  country,  the  won- 
der is  that  under  all  these  untoward  circumstances  the  Bingham 
School  has  risen,  Phcenix  like,  so  grandly  from  its  ashes  and  that  it 
should  have  equipped  itself  so  grandly  for  another  century  of  pre- 
eminence among  Southern  Schools.  The  general  public  outside  of 
North  Carolina  has  already  given  its  most  unqualified  approval  by 
sending  eighty  (80)  pupils  to  the  school  from  18  States  during  the 
current  year  ;  and  every  North  Carolinian  who  has  inspected  it  is 
enthusiastic  in  his  concurrence  with  this  judgment  of  prominent 
■people  from  Ohio  and  Wisconsin  on  the  North  through  Florida  and 
Texas  to  Mexico  on  the  South. 

F.  B.  ARENDBLL. 


